The Pagemaster

Scandinavian tree skirt!

2011-12-12T17:27:00.002-07:00

I'm so proud of my handiwork I had to share. Here is my new tree skirt, all scandinavian styled up. Made out of red and white felt, I fabric glued on the white Rhombus' (yes I am the wife of a math teacher and I know what a rhombus is) then hand embroidered the edge with a blanket stitch and finished it off with a red star design on the snowflakes. Took me about 3 hours and cost less than $20 woo hoo, (take that ikea who sells out of all their awesome christmas fabric in october!

Yes this is my house and yes there is a giant tree on top of it!

2011-12-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

This happened on dec 2nd, 2011 during the wind storm of the century in Utah, or as some are calling it Windmageddon! The wind howling outside woke us up at about 3:30AM and I kept telling ralph I was sure that the giant tree was going to fall, he went outside and checked things out then came back in assuming things would be alright. We lied down and then there was a whoosh sound and scraping branches. Ralph got up to look, "Ralph, what was that?" He looked out our kitchen window then the back bedroom window ,"that big tree fell down." " What!, Yeah right, what was it really" No, Seriously, that tree fell down." " No, It didn't." " Yes it did." " Oh my heck the tree is on our house!" Then ensuing panic and whimpering from me. It was a crazy night. We called the power company, we weren't sure it had hit power lines because our power was out. We called our insurance agent, then tried to sleep. The next day was when we realized how lucky we are, It could have taken out our whole house, but luckily the top of the tree seemed to be resting on the peak of the roof. The roots were frighteningly shallow and they pulled up the neighbors fence. We had a guy come in the next day and start chainsawing the behemoth. Four truck loads later we have some great firewood, a crooked awning, and an eave of the roof to fix, but we are grateful for our safety and the minimal damage, and for homeowners insurance.

Ode to Jake

2011-11-10T17:16:00.001-07:00

There once was a dog named Jake

A better mouser no one could make

he started out as a runt and

became alpha dog of the hunt

on a hike he was always in front.

He was a champion beggar for food

fireworks always upset his mood

he ran until his paws ached

he loved his fur to get raked

but be careful not to get "Jake'd"

He loved to go to work with his master

his fast was even faster

He was a little too smart

Even though we are now apart

you, Jake, will remain in my Heart.

-Jenny Davis 2011-

New Sod and Landscaping!

2011-09-25T22:23:00.000-06:00

After

Before

This spring we began putting in another garden box for our vegetable garden and that project turned into a complete landscaping and sprinkler system overhaul. It is now september and we have ripped out 50 year old bushes, dug trenches, moved dirt, Ralph and his cousin TJ put in a new sprinkler system in the front and back yard, we planted new plants, leveled out the clay dirt front yard using a sweet little tractor, and finally, finally we put in the sod last weekend. Whew, am I glad to have this project done, It does look great though we love it! Thanks to all of you out there who helped us!

Fall is Volleyball...

2011-09-11T20:18:00.002-06:00

For some reason this year I am especially nostalgic for my volleyball days. I love coaching and I love teaching and those things always come around every fall, but there is one thing I especially miss this fall and that is playing on a volleyball team. I miss riding around in a van/bus with all the girls, I miss the thrill of playing and being great at something and then everyone cheering, I miss the inside jokes and friendships that you build, and yes I even miss the early morning practices. I really never thought I would say that but I do, I even miss the lifting/conditioning, I feel like I took it all for granted now that it is gone. Thank you to all those people out there that were either on a team with me, coached me, or helped me in anyway to play the game I love. I miss you volleyball thanks for being so good to me....

Good Advice.... Hold Hands.

2011-08-21T17:41:00.001-06:00

Things I never knew: sea otters often hold hands to keep from drifting apart while sleeping. Amazing!

Favorite New Thing!

2011-08-04T22:12:00.002-06:00

This is my new favorite thing... don't worry I still LOVE to waterski but after a great ski, surfing behind our new boat is the Best!!!!

Painting with Kelly

2011-08-04T21:57:00.002-06:00

My little sister Kelly and I went out to the great salt lake to paint plein air one morning it was so fun, we had a blast and we also managed to look awesome with doing it. Ha!

Lake Powell 4th of July

2011-07-09T16:42:00.003-06:00

As you can tell, we had a great time in Lake Powell this year over the 4th of July. As you can also tell Ralph had a great little playmate the whole time, Max our nephew. Ralph was a great uncle and played with him almost the whole day, and as you can see Max loved it. It was great to spend time with family and enjoy such a beautiful place. Thanks Mom and Scott!

Mediterranean Cruise June 2011

2011-07-09T16:03:00.009-06:00

Venice

Kotor, Montenegro

Athens, Greece

Kusadasi, Turkey (Ephesus)

Bodrum, Turkey

Santorini, Greece

Mykonos, Greece

Split, Croatia

Thai Food!

2011-06-25T15:58:00.000-06:00

Thai Food with the sisters and hubbies, before we all go off on summer adventures. We go on a mediterranean cruise, Dave and Kelly off to Costa Rica, and Heidi and Caleb off to Africa then London for over a month! We will miss you guys.

Our Niece and Nephew

2011-05-03T21:46:00.001-06:00

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Great Strides event at Gallivan Center May 21st 9:00 am be there or be square.

Kitchen Before and After

2011-04-22T16:59:00.002-06:00

Before...

After...

We are excited to announce that we are finished working on the kitchen... for now. It is totally workable and totally cute, at least I think so. We...repainted, put in a bar and stools, replaced the lighting, added a dishwasher, painted the countertops, installed a new sink and faucet. Replace the appliances with used white ones, added cork inside the cabinets, added two shelves next to the sink, and I finished it off with a roman shade my mom helped me make. Voila! For a kitchen facelift it was relatively cheap. So until we create some sort of addition on the back of our house with Ralph's dream gourmet kitchen this will work out just fine.

I want...

2011-04-13T18:25:00.001-06:00

This one is for you Mom... this quilt makes me want to become a quilt/fabric designer... love, love, love.

Office/Studio Finished

2011-03-26T20:53:00.003-06:00

One room down, a few more to go. We painted the dark paneling and the ugly tan walls and ceiling all a fresh white, new ceiling light that is a lot brighter, some shelves and few new pieces of furniture and now our office/studio space is complete, it is so bright and nice to work in. After years of packing up all my art stuff after I use it, it is so nice to have a place for everything and everything in its place.

Boo Yeah!

2011-02-22T15:49:00.001-07:00

Now I'm officially a Licensed Teacher, no more night classes for me! yeah!

Resolution Challenge Part 2

2011-01-30T12:39:00.005-07:00

It has been three weeks with our resolution challenge and I'm happy to say that we have gotten 100%. That's right it may seem unbelievable but Ralph and Jenny CAN follow through with something every once and a while. We have gotten all ten points every day, it has been a bit annoying, gratifying, and once or twice it has made me cry. But for the most part, we have found we have more time in a day to get things done. I've had more energy during the day, and I've felt happier after a long day at school and I've been able to run out my frustrations. So even though we are annoyed about trying not to mess up our perfect score, we are also enjoying the perks. We will see if we can keep it up.

Resolutionary Challenge

2011-01-13T17:45:00.003-07:00

Daily Habits

Each item is worth 1 point, with a possible 10 points per day

7 hours of sleep (not necessarily consecutive-naps count too)

64 oz. water (roughly two Nalgenes)

45 minutes of exercise (not necessarily consecutive)

2 servings of veggies, 2 servings of fruit

No soda, beer, unhealthy snacks, or bad fast food

No sweets

No eating after dinner/8 pm (choose which works for you)

15 minutes of scripture reading (or other spiritual text if you don't do scripture)

One journal entry (any length)

Express sincere appreciation or praise to your spouse (if single, to another person)

Note: Sundays are "free" days where all points are free

Exceptions

You are excused from the sweet rule on YOUR birthday

You may also eat sweets on Valentines Day (or any other day you wish to celebrate)

You are allowed three sick days where you are excused from exercising. This is ONLY to be used if you are indeed sick.

If you are pregnant you can eat after dinner/8pm and tailor your exercise regimen.

Ralphs family is doing this for the next ten weeks as a competition. So far Ralph and I are doing great. I don't know what it is about this challenge but I am really excited to do it. I'm pretty sure I was just ready for a change and ready to enjoy my life more. Surprisingly, this has helped me to have more time in my day, I also feel more present and happy. My goal is to have a good healthy lifestyle before we try to start a family. I also like the flexibility of knowing I could just not get a point that day, I haven't yet though. I have had a pretty good start but we'll see if it gets harder as life gets busy again. We like it so far, especially all of the sincere appreciation:)

Family Ski Day!

2011-01-06T21:11:00.002-07:00

We had a blast skiing with most of the weed/blaine clan during the break. It was the perfect day, a bit cold but sunny and clear, and so much fun! We even found a jump with a soft landing spot so we had a little action photo shoot.

The whole group, looking good.

Clearly I had the best photo. Nice air!

Eric looking graceful

Ralph looking awesome, way to get those tips up!

Catie nearly landing her awesome 120

Caleb just going for it!

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-06T21:07:00.002-07:00

We had a lovely Christmas break. And one of the very best parts is that we got to meet and spend a lot of time with this little guy, my nephew Liam. He is so happy and smiley and I put in some hard work in order to win favorite auntie. I think I achieved it but only time will tell.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-22T17:35:00.002-07:00

1st Grader's Turkey that turned out looking way more like a turkey than mine did.

Mine looks like a goose pretending to be a Turkey.

We had our friend thanksgiving last saturday it was so much fun, sadly I only got a before picture without any of the people. It was so fun to be able to host all of our friends and we found out our house isn't as un kid friendly as we thought. Ralph's deep fried turkeys were great but everyone brought great food. Happy Turkey Day Everyone! Enjoy your Families!

New Paint!

2010-11-07T17:08:00.002-07:00

After, Just need to paint the awning a fresh coat of white.

Before

Basement Apartment

2010-10-30T20:32:00.004-06:00

After a lot of hard work and effort, our basement apartment is finally ready to be rented out. We ripped out the ceiling put in new plumbing, duct work, electrical, and insulation, put in canned lights, repainted, and put in new windows. Whew! We have some cute renters set up to move in December after they get married. So now that we have the homeowner/handy people thing down we will try out landlord! Woo hoo! More posts to come on our upstairs progress as well....

Yosemite

2010-08-30T18:50:00.004-06:00

Thanks to Ralph's parents we went on a great family trip to Lake Tahoe and spent two days in Yosemite National Park. It was awesome as you can see from the pics. This is one of the Giant Sequoias.

This is Bridal Veil Falls... not the lame provo one.

Ralph looking cute!

Half Dome view from the hike we went on that was straight up the canyon sides, talk about switchbacks!

View of Yosemite falls from the hike we went on.

Squinty pic at a dam and pretty resevoir.

Salmon River Trip

2010-08-15T20:30:00.004-06:00

Our group that went on the Salmon River. Thanks to ralphs brother Jesse I got to go on a week long trip down the Salmon river in Idaho. It was an awesome trip.

After a few cold rainy days this hot spring felt AMAZING! As you can see it was a popular stopping point along the river.

Jesse let me row one day! It was so fun, except for the part where I got us stuck on a rock, After I successfully rowed through a pretty big rapid I might add!

We saw a black bear!

Here is all of Ralphs Family member that went.

The movie is when we jumped from a bridge along the way!

House Colors Sketch

2010-06-23T10:41:00.003-06:00

Here is a little sketch I did of our House. These are the colors I'm thinking for the front. I want to paint the siding gray (my new favorite color.) And I was thinking a fun bright green for the doors, with white trim. I still remember one of my favorite houses in Georgetown was this cute little rowhouse with gray siding, white trim and a bright green door. I'm still debating if the orange will go with it though. We will change out the accessories for some stainless steel ones, and change up the plants too, I'm thinking some modern looking grasses. And that awful awning out front will have to just get some fresh paint until we can redo that and the railings so some sort of cool tension wire railing. Here is the plan we will see if I can do it before the end of summer.

A picture says a thousand words...

2010-06-23T10:40:00.002-06:00

Fun Birthday Buys!

2010-06-05T19:01:00.002-06:00

Thanks to some birthday money, I've bought myself a few fun items. I have wanted this switch plate organizer since the moment I saw it. This is design genius! And the mobile from cb2 is also one I've had my eye on for a few months. Can't wait to put them in my new house!

Odd little Findings

2010-05-30T17:05:00.002-06:00

Here are a few treasures we have found left by the previous original owners. Apparently they designed and built this house in 1959.

We found the original blueprints, which have come in very handy so far. I like the vertical original siding maybe one day we will go back to that.

We found this photo down in the crawl space. It is a picture from a new years eve party in 1947, we are unsure if these were the owners but Ralph has a sneeking suspicion that the creepy man on the left was the guy who lived here and he has hidden bodies or something in all the strange nooks and crannys in this house.

A nice little reminder on our bathroom toilet handle.

One day I took a shower with the door open and went in the other room to find this nice butterfly print on the steamy window must have been left over from a tacky window decal.

It is hard to decide which is my favorite find, but I think these trucks we found out in the shed under piles and piles of pinecones are my favorites. They are bit rusty but I think they will be fun toys for future kiddies!

Utilitarian Update

2010-05-30T16:45:00.005-06:00

This in update for all those of you who actually care about our little house renovation, and actually think that looking at the guts of a house is fun. I know I know, all this is going to make our life a little better but it is not as exciting to me as the stuff I will actually see on, in, or around the house. Nonetheless, Ralph and some helpers are doing a great job.

This is what we have been drinking, showering, and washing in...Yuck!

Out with the old...

In with the new.

Our nice new cement pad for the central air Condenser! Yippee!

We added a nice little touch for someone else to find one day in the distant future.

New interior electrical panels...

New exterior power box.

Spring has Sprung, Finally!

2010-05-16T10:57:00.002-06:00

We haven't quite figured out what kind of tree this is yet, cherry, maybe apple, it smells so good and is gorgeous.

Our giant apricot tree is looking beautiful this spring, as well as our apple tree next to it. We can't wait for the peonies to bloom.

One of our planter boxes ready for some veggies!

This is what Ralph has been working on, we ripped out the whole basement ceiling, to change the galvanized pipes, the elecrtrical, new ducting, and some good sound proofing insulation

Long Time Overdue!

2010-05-07T15:40:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the hiatus we have been moving, and going to weddings, and graduating, and having art shows, and celebrating birthdays, and sending siblings on missions, and fixing up our new house! whew...we have been busy. One more month until I'm out of school and ralph has already gotten a good jump on our house renovations. But as we have discovered he is more of a guts and systems manager, and I'm more of a how things look kind of gal. So if your waiting for any exciting after pics you will have to wait a little while. In the meantime we would like to celebrate that we are now Homeowners! Yay!

The House!

2010-04-03T18:22:00.005-06:00

Some things just work out the way they are supposed to. We found this house last week, and we made a first low-ball offer and they accepted! So we are doing our inspection this Tuesday, but things are looking good for us to close on this home in a few weeks. And we will be HOMEOWNERS! As my nephew would say, "Scary-Happy." We are so excited about this home it is over right behind Highland Park Elementary, on a quiet cul-de-sac. As you can see in the pics it is what I would call "Immaculately Sixties." It has lots of potential and has been very well cared for. It has a big yard and a basement apartment. If all goes well this is just the beginning of some very fun before/after picture posts!

Midway Weekend

2010-04-03T18:04:00.004-06:00

Thanks to some great friends we had a nice little getaway last weekend to Midway. It was perfect to get away from computers, tv, phone calls, etc. Thanks again Campbells! We had a great time playing in the snow and playing with Hobbes!

We are on the search...

2010-03-19T16:08:00.002-06:00

We are in search of a house. We are looking from South Temple to 33rd and from 900 east to the mountains. Our price range is around 250,000$. I would like something cheaper so we could remodel, which we are not afraid to do. If you readers out there see anything great, let us know, if you see something awful in a great neighborhood, also..., let us know. Hopefully it will be a bit bigger than the picture above, but I'm all for space economy and purging of extra "stuff." :)

Garlic Seedlings

2010-03-08T16:08:00.003-07:00

Yay for sprouting garlic seedlings, it may snow again, but I am encouraged by the beautiful little green buds we see out in our garden. It has been a long, long february.

Lobster Newburg and Chocolate Molten Cake

2010-02-15T10:20:00.002-07:00

Yummy Valentines Day Dinner we made last night, We would recommend both but as Ralph said Its a once in a lifetime Dish, I don't know how often we can afford lobster or the calories! But Yum Yum!

I love being married to this man!

2010-01-18T18:16:00.001-07:00

p.s. this was at the end of a very long but wonderful christmas day, don't mind the tired eyes.

Best Christmas Present

2009-12-22T08:58:00.003-07:00

Luckily we have some really great friends who give us really great christmas presents.

Yesterday we went to Laina and Thane's house and we did a little gift exchange and lunch while cute little Hobbes took a nap. And we got a Mason Bee House from them... I opened the box and was thinking "how cool it is some sort of sculpture," but it actually has a use, as well as being cool looking. Apparently Mason Bee's like these small little holes to create their home in so all I have to do is hang this up by my garden and hopefully those little pollinating guys will come and help our garden. This got me so excited about planting our garden next spring, I'm going back to my seed catalog to check out some fun things to plant. Thanks Laina and Thane, you guys are awesome friends! We love you, and little Hobbes too, even if he cries when we hold him.

p.s. anyone else want to give me the best gift ever... how about a garden like this...

Capitol Reef Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T21:51:00.004-07:00

We had a great time down in Capitol Reef with Ralph's family... picking out our mini christmas tree, watching Alta be hyper and crazy, eating yummy food and lots and lots of pies, going on walks, playing with lizzie, charlie, and elliot, and more than anything getting away from salt lake city and enjoying time with family.

p.s. sorry Alta I had to post that picture it is just too amazing!

Friend Thanksgiving!

2009-11-24T19:28:00.004-07:00

Thanks to Dave and Emmy for opening your home it was such a fun dinner, and we had lots of fun playing with Donny and Hobbes such cute baby boys. We can't wait for more thanksgiving coming up on thursday! We are thankful for such great friends! And i'm not so thankful that Ralph cannot just look normal in any pictures!

oh there you are laina! with a giant chunk missing from your arm.

Good Good News!

2009-11-07T13:17:00.002-07:00

Ralph and I have had a very anxious week waiting to hear if he was accepted into a Math Education Masters program at the U. And......... he was accepted! Yay! If you know ralph you may know school is not his favorite so it is really great that he has finally had someone acknowledge his hard work and want him for such a great opportunity. It is a grant to help get better math and science teachers into high schools, so they will pay for tuition and a stipend as he is in school and they help him find a teaching job. Woo hoo! We are very excited!

Fall Harvest

2009-10-01T15:26:00.005-06:00

Back To School and Beouf Bourguignon

2009-09-07T17:23:00.005-06:00

It cannot already be september... but it is. Life for us just got a lot busier, Ralph's in school, I'm back to teaching art at Bonneville Elementary, and coaching volleyball at East High School, and taking classes to get my teaching license. We have had a nice little break this labor day weekend ,however, and after seeing "Julie and Julia" three weeks ago Ralph has had his mind on this Beouf Bourguignon recipe. We, like everyone else who saw that movie, immediately went to Barnes and Noble to buy Julia Childs french cooking cookbook. It was sold out. Ralph waited patiently for it to arrive from amazon. And finally... We have enjoyed the smell of it cooking away all afternoon and I cannot wait to have a taste.

Calf Creek/ Capitol Reef 2009

2009-08-03T16:23:00.004-06:00

We started out the weekend thinking that we were going to go on a three day backpacking trip down Coyote Gulch with my Dad, Ralph's Dad, Heidi, Kelly, and Caleb. We searched for the crack in the rock to get down to the river all night the first night and could not find it. We were running out of water and it was dark so we camped where we were. Ralph got up early and luckily found the car. We had to get water so we headed back along the long bumpy road to Escalante. Then we decided to bag the Coyote Gulch hike and we hiked Calf Creek to the lower falls which was so fun and refreshing. Then we spent a night just outside of Capitol Reef and hiked up to see Cassidy Arch. It turned out to be a great adventure but we all slept terrible that first night. It was a great learning experience for us. Here are a few tips if you are planning on doing the Coyote Gulch trip or camping in the desert...

Have a big jug of water in the car...

Take a compass and use landmarks as your guide...

Take bugspray or netting, we are still scratching all of our bites.

Mt. Olympus

2009-07-16T09:17:00.003-06:00

Ralph hiked Mt. Olympus this summer with my dad and my sisters Heidi and Kelly. Here are some cool pics from the top. I, thankfully, had a conflict and could not go.

If Kelly was this pooped I probably would have been in tears.

Nice pose.

Cataract Canyon

2009-07-10T11:48:00.004-06:00

Most of our group

Phenomenal scenery

Rafting on the first ten rapids. With our awesome guide Jesse, Ralph's brother.

Ralph was REALLY excited for this trip.

Dollhouse hike with crazy awesome rock formations

View from the top looks pretty good eh?

More dollhouse awesomeness

Our guides were pretty awesome and very entertaining. This is the best whipped cream game ever.

Overall an awesome trip, oh and I'm sorry Jesse I had to mention it, we did flip on the buttonhole a fairly avoidable pourover on the river but we did get to practice our awesome self rescue skills. Thanks Jesse, we had an awesome time!

Foothill Stake Trek

2009-07-08T08:53:00.004-06:00

We had a great time being ma and pa to our cute trek

family here are some fun pictures

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wierd Picture

2009-06-09T20:06:00.001-06:00

What a wierd picture, it looks like ralph and I are looking at each other but we did not plan this. Huh, weird.

Mission Beach

2009-05-31T16:20:00.002-06:00

Max and his new favorite playmate.

sisters!

Out to dinner at the awesome restaurant C-level check out that view!

lookin' good on the rollercoaster

Double your pleasure Double your Fun!

May Day Birthday!

2009-05-02T23:20:00.007-06:00

I was just about to start writing a little shout out to my honey bear for his birthday when he asked from the other room, "what are you doing?" and I said, "nothing." and he said," are you sure you aren't blogging about me?" He would have no reason to suspect me for doing this, I didn't say I was going to write about him, I didn't mention anything about it, and he had been in the other room for twenty minutes already. THIS, is one of the many crazy examples of how well Ralph knows me. I think something, and he seems to already know about it. Perhaps this has to do with my very, very awful poker face, or perhaps it is more a credit to Ralph and his intuitive nature, and his caring awareness of me. What else could a person want or need from a spouse than to know and be shown that they are the most important thing. This is what Ralph does for me. And I just had to publicly declare that my husband is the Best Husband, so too bad for the rest of you ladies, you can't have him, and to the guys, you should try to be more like him.

p.s. this is an older picture I just love it because it was kind of the beginning for us.

Sun Valley

2009-04-20T18:49:00.004-06:00

Our friends Emmy and Dave treated us to a fun weekend trip up to Sun Valley last weekend. It was nice and sunny and here we are at the top of the original ski lift. Not as much fun to hike up as it is to ride up I'm sure.

Ralph being...Ralph

Biking down to town. It was such nice weather the backs of my hands got sunburned from our biking trips.

Guess who is really pregnant? Yeah I know I am really convincing but don't you dare ask me when I am due.

Eggcellent

2009-04-10T16:58:00.004-06:00

I would not say Easter is my favorite holiday but I do have to say that I love dyeing Easter eggs. One day my eggs will look like this but for now I'll just dip and dye. There is something magical about putting a pristine white egg into the cup and pulling out a vibrant egg.

Spring Training

2009-03-22T14:28:00.002-06:00

Ralph and I have started our newest attempt to get fit. Well really I've joined him he has been going for a few months now. He has been lifting weights and now we have started running every day. We are building up in mileage now, last week we ran twelve miles and this upcoming week we are shooting for eighteen. So if you see us ask about how our workouts are going and PLEASE keep your easter candy to yourself, unless it is cadbury mini eggs, then give me all you've got!

I TOLD you she looks like Kelly!!!!

2009-03-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

Sistah Sistah!

2009-02-28T12:18:00.002-07:00

I love you sisters! Heidi my little sister just sent me this awesome photo of us when we were little. Check out how well it captures our personalities. And if you have seen Horton Hears a Who then you know how well Kelly my youngest sister looks just like Katie that weird little fluffy kid that was in Horton's class. Ha Ha how perfect, thanks Heid and thanks for the shot up your skirt! woo hoo!

Hey you Valentine's Day Pathetics!

2009-02-13T17:31:00.003-07:00

So, it was brought to my attention that people have crappy taste in movies. Jenny and I didn't want to think for ourselves tonight and thought, "Hey, lets see what movies other people recommend for Valentine favorites." This is what was recommended, Cinderella, Sleepless in Seattle, Kate and Leopold and other such ridiculous movies. Gag me. So this is a list comprised of movies that Jenny and I think make the cut for worthy Valentine's Day movies in no particular order, except alphabetical.

- Amelie

- Chocolat

- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

- Garden State

- Love Actually

- A Man and a Woman

- P.S. I love you

- Pride and Prejudice

- The Princess Bride

- Stranger than Fiction

Boo Yah!

Some Recent Artwork

2009-01-30T12:36:00.004-07:00

Ralph and I are sick at home the last few days... one of the downsides of being a new teacher is that you get to catch everything goes around the school. Luckily for Ralph his immunity will be built up too. So I decided to post some of my recent artwork, most of these have been given as gifts to all my wonderful Dad's but I was hoping by posting this I will be inspired to actually paint more, if only I had lots of time and inspiration. Most of these are inspired by special places, Lake Powell, Capitol Reef, and Toquerville. The barn painting is of the Toquerville barn built by Scott's grandfather.

Bye Bye Star Valley Cabin

2009-01-22T16:21:00.002-07:00

I ditched Ralph last weekend and went up to our Star Valley Cabin with my fam for the last time ever. We are selling our cabin which is hard we've had so many wonderful memories there. But we had a great time this weekend, extreme sledding, cross-country skiing, reading, snuggled up with hot cocoa and a warm fire. More than anything it was great to get away from the inversion in the salt lake valley, yuck!

sledding with the sistahs!

Wahoo!

2008-12-28T16:36:00.001-07:00

Stirrup Pants....thats all I have to say.

Chocolate Blackout Cake

2008-12-15T17:28:00.007-07:00

Chocolate Blackout Cake

serves 10 to 12

Pudding:

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 cups half & half

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cake:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pans

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 cup brewed coffee

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE PUDDING

1. Cook the granulated sugar,, chocolate, half & half, milk, cornstarch and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat, whisking occassionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture begins to buble, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Transfer the pudding to a large bowl and refrigerate, with plastic wrap pressed flush against to surface, until cold and set, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

FOR THE CAKE

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 8"inch cake pans. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the cocoa and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Off the heat, whisk in the coffee, buttermilk, and sugars until dissolved. Whisk in the flour mixture. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and smooth with a spatula.

2. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers come out clean, 30 to 35 mintes, rotating the cake pans halfway through baking. Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. Cool the cakes to room temperature before frosting, at least 1 hour.

TO ASSEMBLE

1. Using a large serrated knife, slice each cake into 2 even layers. Crumble 1 cake layer into medium crumbs and set aside. Place 1 cake layer on a cake plate or cardboard round. Spread 1 cup of the pudding over the cake layer and top with another layer. Repeat with 1 cup more pudding and the last cake layer. Spread the remaining pudding evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the cake crumbs evenly over the top and sides of the cake, pressing lightly to adhere the crumbs. Slice and serve.

Where things can go wrong: make sure to give the pudding and the cake enough time to cool or you'll end up with runny pudding and gummy cake.

This cake was a huge hit at our recent Family Christmas Party but be warned it is very rich and SO fantastic!

Christmas Tree Cutting

2008-11-30T15:35:00.003-07:00

We got a Christmas Tree permit while we were in Capitol Reef at Ralph's Family's cabin this weekend. It was great, we found a cute little guy that is the perfect size for our little apartment.

Ralph and his silly brothers

Hiking to Hickman Bridge in Capitol Reef

Super Fantastic Friend Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T15:25:00.004-07:00

Peter made a homemade apple pie! Yummy!

Good Friends, Yummy Food, and a Ute victory...oh and not even a trace of throw up... it was a great Friend Thanksgiving.

2008-11-18T21:14:00.002-07:00

Isn't it winter yet!?

Halloween.... Not as Exciting as it once was...

2008-11-03T18:58:00.003-07:00

California Trip

2008-10-19T17:41:00.005-06:00

Ralph riding the Flow Rider in Mission Beach with Mike our brother in law was definitely a highlight...

Wipe out...

Knowing wipe out is inevitable...

Mike practiced on the flow rider with Ralph for one hour then stepped it and went on the big wave... he was grinning the rest of the night... what an adrenaline junky.

This little boy is the sweetest little monster ever!

We also went to Universal Studios and Sea World it was a whirlwind of a trip with just one full day at the beach but it was so nice to get some sun and play for a bit with Ralph's whole family kiddies and all!

2008-10-05T20:01:00.001-06:00

The perfect activity for a rainy weekend in the autumn... canning. There's something about storing up food for the coming winter months that makes me recall my inner animal instincts. Now if only I would be allowed to just eat a lot, build up some fat stores, and hibernate for the winter... that would be the life. Actually, there is just something so beautiful about the pretty colored food canned in those glass jars all lined up nice and tidy. Wow, I've become my mother!

A Gift From Heaven

2008-09-28T10:15:00.004-06:00

This posting goes out to our dear friend Thane Campbell, whose name and as we learned last night truly came straight from heaven. Thank goodness, his wonderful family is there to feed his enormous ego we know and love him for. You truly came straight from Heaven, Thane.

2 Years of Bliss

2008-09-06T08:03:00.002-06:00

Our anniversary was August 31 and I forgot to announce to the world how happy we still are. I did not forget that it was our anniversary though... we had a wonderful weekend of backpacking in the uintahs and then lounging about and watching all the pixar movies. Of course you already saw the amazing couch that I /we got for our anniversary. Probably what you didn't see is how Ralph still makes me laugh every day often against my own will and how I put up with his nerdlike tendancies so easily. I have to admit, every time I hear about siblings or friends complain about the dating world, I realize that these really have been two years of bliss.

Labor Day Backpacking!

2008-09-01T15:45:00.005-06:00

We went up in the Uintah's this weekend for a quick backpacking trip luckily it was perfect weather, before the big storm hit on sunday and monday! The lake was freezing but the fish were biting and ralph told us the story "How sugar was made" around the campfire, he is the fire master! It was the perfect little getaway!

Peter Hvidt Sofa!

2008-08-18T18:52:00.003-06:00

I've done it, I finally found THE couch! Whoever says money can't buy happiness hasn't found the right couch. I went to The Green Ant today, and there it was at the very back of the store, I walked around and around. I looked at the price tag and knew I shouldn't buy it but it was calling to me. I even said, "oh no", out loud, and the sales lady asked me what was wrong and I said, "I think I am just going to have to buy this". And then of course she started on about how amazing it was and how there was some other people who had had it on hold but didn't go through with the purchase. I called ralph right away to have him come take a sit test, because I knew he would not like it unless it was comfy. I convinced him this was the prefect anniversary present, and bahdaboom it was mine. I think more than anything he was happy because I won't have to look for another couch for a long, long time. And I'm happy because I finally found a couch that is gorgeously designed, comfy, and is an investment, Peter Hvidt designs have been increasing in value a lot lately. So, if anyone out there needs a mid-century modern fix... The Green Ant is amazing! they are right in sugarhouse and so so helpful!

Heart Felt

2008-07-26T16:44:00.003-06:00

These are a few of my recent felt creations, one of my new favorite materials, it is so forgiving, and so easy to work with. I cannot, however, take credit for these adorable and cheeky designs I got most of the patterns from a book called Softies. So, say hello to Ouchy Bear as dubbed by Ralph he is a little bit Frankenstein, a little bit hobo, and a lotta bit cute; The Lonely Dollop (yes he is a stuffed poo dollop now currently residing at my brother, Dan's home. He is getting the stare down from my rubber ducky LeRoy); and the little heartfelt bunny who is hopefully being squeezed in the chubby little fist of my new niece Reagan!

Professor Wipe Out

2008-07-14T14:14:00.009-06:00

Cheesin' it up in Lake Powell

Ralph discovering the newest form of waterskiing...not slalom, not barefoot... but scalp skiing.

Ralph also showed off his "jumping off things... and not getting hurt," skills...

He really believes he can fly...

Nope... he can't...

He prefected his bullet like form however...

Want good birth control?..... babysit.

2008-06-21T17:55:00.002-06:00

I just have to give props to Mike and Alta.... you two are AMAZING!!! okay not only did they just run their butts off all night as part of a hundred mile race... but they are parents to three pretty spectacular, albeit tiring, children. Ralph and I babysat for just a mere 24 hours well lets be precise more like 30 hours, and I am exhausted! as you can see in my picture I am pretty tired. okay okay its not me but thats how I feel! We love charlie, lizzie, and elliot, they are awesome kids and it was such a good learning experience but please god.... do not send us three all at once.

Accidental Beef

2008-06-08T19:58:00.004-06:00

Well it has been a while since I last posted a recipe, and I think it is about time for a new one. I have found that I end up making my old recipes better when I accidentally add too much of something. Well that is exactly what happened today. Jenny told me she wanted to have some Mongolian beef for dinner tonight. I have absolutely no idea how to make Mongolian beef and so I decided to make a variation of sesame beef that I had made for her previously. Really she doesn't even know the difference so I could have told her it was Mongolian beef in the first place but that is not really relevant so, ...

Ingredients:

2 Tbls peanut oil

for meat

1.5 - 2.0 lbs of your favorite stir fry meat

1/5 cup corn starch

for rice

3 cups rice (uncooked)

4 cups

for sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

2/3 cup brown sugar

1.5 Tbls corn starch

2 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce

2 tsp hoisin sauce

1 Tbls sesame oil

First, put the rice in a rice cooker and get it going. I prefer this ratio because the rice still has some substance. When it is done, you don't need to take the lid off, or anything, just let it sit.

Find a cut of meat that you enjoy. As I said in the last recipe, don't scrimp on the ingredients. Crappy ingredients mean crappy dishes. I used some trimmed beef tenderloin, aka fillet Mignon. Next, cut the meat so that your pieces are about 1 inch by 1.5 to 2 inches. And make them about 1/4 inch think. Remember to pay attention to the direction of the muscle fibers or you will have some tough meat. The fibers should be 1/4 inch long. Then put the meat in a bowl and coat with the corn starch and let sit for about 10 min.

For the sauce, I find that it is easier to combine the corn starch and soy sauce first and then add everything else. Whisk it together and all that is left it to cook it. But not yet.

Get a frying pan that is at least 8 or 9 inches on the bottom. Heat it up, I cooked at med-hi and add one Tbls of the peanut oil. Carefully place the meat on the bottom of the pan so that it is flat and the largest amount of surface area is down. When you have laid about 10 pieces, you will need to start turning them over. DO NOT LET THEM OVER COOK. To quote Simply Ming, "there is nothing worse than over cooked beef. " You will want them to be tender. Beef should have at least a shadow of red in the meat. Continue until all of the meat has been seared, adding more oil when necessary and removing the cooked pieces when they are ready. Then, when all meat has been removed, pour in the sauce. It will start to bubble and rise up the side of the pan, just remove it from the heat for a couple of seconds and it will go back down. Stir it so that it doesn't burn and when it is the consistency you like, I like it a little bit sticky, pour off about 1/3 of a cup into the bowl with the meat. Stir the rice in to the rest of the sauce over the heat. This is where a bigger pan is helpful. After about a minute, remove it from the heat and put the rice in a bowl and place some meat on top with some of the extra sauce.

I accidentally added the originally needed 1/4 cup of sugar and thus needed to add more soy sauce and more cornstarch. The soy sauce and the brown sugar are supposed to be equal parts but I didn't want that much sauce so I didn't add that much more. But this is way better than the previous recipe so. Enjoy.

Clubbing....

2008-05-31T10:38:00.002-06:00

No no no, not that kind of clubbing. The golf kind of clubbing has been our most recent obsession and I was given brand spanking new golf clubs for my birthday! Yippee, it is so fun to find things we can learn and enjoy together. So if anyone out there needs some golf partners we are just waiting for your call....

This is why I teach...

2008-05-13T18:19:00.002-06:00

I was going through stuff at school today trying to get ready for the end of the year and I found this note, it is acutally pretty big (2 ftX 3ft.) This was probably one of my very first days teaching and this is a Kindergarten class who was a bit rowdy. They lined up to leave and the teacher had them all say "Sorry, Mrs. Davis..." but then three of them came back an hour later and handed me this giant note. They looked so cute and sincerely sorry, and the teacher smiled and said... "this just took us an hour..." It was so endearing, and absolutely adorable! I just had to post it. So this is one of the reasons I teach... you never know what might happen and the kids are so funny... I laugh every day.

Cutie Pies!

2008-05-10T22:18:00.002-06:00

We got to babysit baby Elliot today he is such a cutie patootie. Ralph was making faces and he would try to make the same face back, awww he was so cute. It is always so fun to see how, especially if you don't have kids yet, how your husband acts around kids, Ralph is a natural. I also had to show our niece Lizzie's birthday present to her uncle Ralphy, first of all as a teacher I have to acknowledge how good her handwriting is, seriously, way to go Lizzie! And the best part is the paper tube is the gift it is a telescope she made him. I don't know why but I think that is one of the coolest presents Ralph got, she made it herself, and I can just imagine her thinking he would have fun with it. We love all our nephews and niece we are so glad they are in our lives.

May is Birthday Month!!!

2008-05-02T22:39:00.007-06:00

Most of my loyal blog readers are my family so too bad if you are sick of the birthday shout out's most of my family was born in May and a lot of it in the first week, so here is the B-day shout out to Kelly and Eric. I can't believe this is the only picture I have of Eric but I love it, it's one of those timeless and beautiful pictures where every sibling in your family thinks it is them or at least wants it to be, but nope, it is Eric. Shucks. Eric is an awesome brother and he and his wife Maere have set a pretty high standard in producing a beautiful boy and in raising him, lets hope the rest of the siblings can take a cue... honestly though, I've loved seeing him become a father it really suits him and you can tell he loves it! Happy Birthday Eric I love you!

Kelly is the one making the most incredible face I've ever seen her make and let me tell you she has some good ones. Kelly is... well... just look at her... she is funny, and creative, and beautiful, and is stubborn sometimes about some really funny things. I specifically remember the moment she stopped doing everything I told her to... aww come on you know how older sisters are and I was like twelve... anyway, she just said no...walked away, and she has never looked back since. Kelly likes doing her own things, her own way, with her own style and I love that about her. Happy Birthday Kelly, I love you!

May Day Birthdays!

2008-04-30T20:21:00.004-06:00

Two of my very favorite people are celebrating tomorrow. Heidi and Ralph are both May Day babies. Yes for those of you who may not know... Heidi is the one in the red hat. I love this picture because this was Heidi when we were growing up; weird cowgirl shirt handmedown, no visible long blonde hair, her face hiding under a giant baseball cap, oh and you can't see in this picture but she is probably wearing really clunky ten pound hiking boots. (I still have the bruises on my shins...) Plus she is Graduating from Utah State this weekend! Way to go Heidi! I love you! You are an amazing person and a great sister.

Ralph always gloats about what a cute baby he was... well, maybe it's just because he is my husband but if you know Ralph... you may have seen this adorable, enthusiastic, childlike look on his face. And the coolest thing about Ralph is... is that I don't mean maybe you saw it when he was little, or ten years ago... I mean... you can see it in his face almost every single day. That is my favorite thing about Ralph, he manages to remain childlike in the best ways... his enthusiasm... his willingness to play... his humility... and most of all his genuine sweetness. I am so lucky... an awesome sister, and a sweetheart of a husband. Happy Happy Birthday.

I am in Luuuuuv!

2008-04-30T20:07:00.003-06:00

Isn't it the way life always works that the second you make a decision and settle for something, the perfect thing pops right into your life. Okay perhaps this is a bit dramatic but I settled on buying a couch which is a great couch and was a STEAL. But I was holding out for so long waiting for the perfect couch, I searched and searched, and came up with nothing. Then, boom, two months after I settle, this little beauty was for sale on Urban Outfitters. Those who don't have a flair for the mid-century modern may not understand but when I saw this I literally cried out, oh my gosh! You can ask Ralph he will vouch, I made him come over to look and he sweetly pretended to be interested. Well, perhaps I can convince Ralph to spend our gov't economy boost moolah. Pretty please....

HAIRCUT!!!!!!

2008-04-11T21:00:00.003-06:00

I've finally done it.... I cut off my hair...sniff...sniff, I will admit I did have a bit of a break down this afternoon but Ralph is amazing and he has been raving about how much he likes it...I have the best husband in the world. Well it was about time I made a change, I've had the same hair for about ten years...wow it is crazy to think I've been stuck in a rut for ten years with the same old haircut. It is equally as crazy how attatched I was, but honestly it has been the one thing I am always complimented on, so as you can imagine I didn't want to give it up. It is also a huge relief not only was my hair heavy but it is nice to have a fresh new outlook on life. Besides I feel extra spunky now!

Some people have kids...some have puppies...we have SEEDLINGS!!!!!

2008-04-09T16:12:00.005-06:00

We've been peeking in our little flats every hour for the past week, waiting in anticipation, watching as if we might will the little seeds to grow with the power of our stares and and yesterday low and behold, our little plants have sprouted. Today they have magically multiplied and unfurled their tiny little leaves. Oh, they are so cute! If you've never grown anything, you should try it.... it really is magical.

Planning our Garden

2008-04-01T18:52:00.004-06:00

Is it actually coming? Has spring almost sprung. This winter has done a number on our backs ( okay, okay... Ralph's back) with the enormous amounts of snow, and it looks like it has still been putting up a fight these last couple of days. But we are trusting in the seasons and Ralph finally gets to use all of his Math skills as we have been planning our garden with Ralph's perfectly accurate and to-scale drawing of our little plot o' land out back. He has been working diligently and enthusiastically on measurements and we have finally selected our seeds... yes, I said seeds, we got ambitious this year and wanted to start our plants from seeds. We are planting some wonderful heirloom varieties this year, we ordered them from www.seedsavers.com , a really neat company which lets growers sell and share their heirloom seeds, which is cool because of the staggering numbers of seed extinctions by big corporations who "own" the rights to those seeds. All this info is from a great book we've been listening to by one of my favorite authors, Barbara Kingsolver, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," it is really interesting and we really recommend it to anyone who cares about the food they eat.

The veggies we've picked also have amazing names, sheepnose pimento peppers, japanese trifele black tomatoes, and tango lettuce,(pictured above) are just some of them... I'm just excited to finally see something alive and growing again, and I admit I kinda like coming in the house with fresh picked, tomatoes, peppers, and zuchinni, and picking the dark dirt from under my nails as ralph throws together a light, fresh summer pasta. yummmmm... I can't wait.

Drunk on Pasta

2008-03-31T17:38:00.002-06:00

Today will be a change from the normal, as Ralph is writing the blog instead of Jenny. Today I will post a new recipe that I tried Saturday night with unexpected success. I got it out of my new cook book "The best of America's test Kitchen 2008" I got it on Friday and there are some sweet recipes in there. This one was called "Perfecting Penne alla Vodka." It shows you how to avoid the common pitfalls that often ruin this dish by making it taste too boozy or too heavy. The recipe is really simple and it only takes about 30 minutes to make. So here it is.

28 oz. Whole canned tomatoes, drained and liquid reserved

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup minced onion

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 Garlic Cloves minced or pressed

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt to taste (I prefer kosher salt but the book uses regular table salt)

1/3 cup Vodka

1/2 cup heavy cream

16 oz. penne pasta (This noodle is great for this recipe)

2 Tablespoons minced fresh basil

Grated parmesan cheese for serving

There are a few important things to notice on the ingredient list.

Firstly, the vodka. Do not use vodka you would not drink by itself. By that I mean, if it tastes terrible by itself, it will taste terrible in the pasta. Get the stuff that has been distilled at least 3 times. It removes most of the extra crap that makes the vodka taste awful. Grey Goose was recommended by the book but I am not wealthy enough to spend that much on something that I will not use that often. I used Smirnoff to great effect.

Secondly, the basil will only add to the dish if it is fresh. Don't try to use dried basil. It is just no good.

Thirdly, half of the tomatoes should be pureed in a blender or food processor. The other half should be cut into about 1/2 inch pieces. Then put all of them in a glass liquid measuring cup. Add the reserved liquid until there are 2 cups of fluid.

Lastly, the parmesan should be used very sparingly. It doesn't need much. The cream adds the richness and the parmesan can overpower the other flavors if you use too much.

Now to the process.

Put on a pot of water to boil now. Pour in some salt to season it.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan on medium heat until it begins to glisten. Then Put in the onions. Cook them until they start to turn translucent and then add the tomato past. Cook those stirring fairly often until the edges of the onion start to turn a golden color. Then pour in the chili flakes and the garlic. Cook until it is aromatic and the pour in the tomatoes. Don't let the garlic cook too long before adding them or it will start to go bitter. Once the tomatoes are in, move the pan off of the heat for safety's sake and add the vodka. Then return the pan to the heat and crank it up to medium high heat. Don't cover it.

I hope you didn't forget to put the water on to boil because if you did, you just doubled the time it takes to make this. If you did put the water on, it should be boiling now. Put in your noodles and find a temperature where the water will not go over the top but will keep a steady rolling boil.

Now back to the tomatoes. With the lid off, it will start to cook down. Stir it so that it doesn't burn onto the bottom of the pan. And if it starts to boil too vigorously, turn the heat down. It will be fine if it needs to stay around medium, all ranges are different anyway. Cook the tomatoes and vodka for about 8-10 minutes. During this time, you should be checking and stirring the noodles. When it is to the point that they are almost done, just a little substance to them, or "al-dente," strain them and reserve about 1/4 cup of the fluid incase you need it to thin the sauce. After about 8-10 minutes the tomatoes should be at a nice consistency, so add the cream. Cook it until it is hot, and then pour in the strained noodles. Stir them for about 2 minutes over medium heat or until the noodles are the way you like them. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the noodle water. Stir in the minced basil and season with salt to taste. Then serve it with just a little sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Less is more with this one.

I hope you like it as much as we did.

Elliot's Angels

2008-03-28T11:52:00.002-06:00

If you don't already know Elliot, he is Ralph's sister Alta's, little boy and our sweet little nephew. Ralph is very attatched to him, and I can already tell that just like all the nephews he loves his Uncle Ralphie. Elliot has cystic fibrosis, a terminal illness, where he can't get the nutrients he needs from his food and he can't fight off infections in his lungs. He endures lots of treatments and medications like a little champ but if you haven't already seen the video on Alta's Blog (www.altaehales.blogspot.com), take a look. If you want to be involved in the Great Strides Event on May 17, at wheeler farm he can always use more support. Ralph and I will be there so if we're there you know if will be a good time...

New Art Yay!

2008-03-26T09:55:00.006-06:00

I'm busy admiring my newest purchase from the St. George Art Festival, I couldn't find the exact one on his website but this one is close... David Rhodes...isn't it fantastic? Well, I'm obsessed. We had an awesome weekend, played tennis, cards, shopped, went to Zion's. Yes, it's true Laina and I did feel slightly like babysitters but I think we both knew when we married these boys that for some reason when they get together they de-mature about ten years. All in all a fantastic getaway weekend to a warmer climate...

Nerding up the Spring Break

2008-03-18T18:29:00.003-06:00

We are kickin' it old school this spring break, we've been playing Zelda and the ON (Original Nintendo) during all our free time, and sad to admit we've been looking up cheats on youtube. And...lets just say Ralph is a little bit more than excited about the new "Ironman" movie coming out.